Hugh's War on Waste

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is looking into the way we waste food - not just we consumers, but also the supermarkets. At present this campaign isn't very popular. People don't like to be told to make a bit more effort rather than throw things away.

Have a look at his website for his top tips. Reduce - Re-use - recycle!  But especially reduce.

Here is a link to a petition asking supermarkets to account for their waste.Sign the petition

Hugh honestly believes that when he exposes the truth about waste, people will start to reform their behaviour. Actually, they say to him, "oh, that's terrible, I had no idea" because it's easier than saying they know perfectly well but they don't really care. But he demonstrates persuasiveness.

I love his sense of purpose and his understated confidence.

Envious of his garden achievements

My cookbook

What is interesting about Hugh is his assumption that he has a voice that people will listen to. This is an example of an Eton education  being used for something that isn't propping up the established way of doing business. But let us look at other Eton alumni who do the same thing. There is Jonathan Porritt, founder of Friends of the Earth. There are Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sir Ranulph Feinnes, explorer, Perry Anderson, editor of New Left Review (never heard of him), Patrick Hennessy, Deputy Director of Communications for the Labour Party, Nicky Gumbel, founder of the Alpha movement in the C of E, and many others.

 Zac Goldsmith was not at Eton for long, (can't help but wonder why) but he is a good example of someone who campaigns on alternative ideas despite having a vested interest in the status quo, in that he inherited hundreds of millions of pounds. He is a campaigner for sustainability and a longtime donor to the Soil Association, and he welcomes Direct Democracy (getting people to vote on specific issues). (I'm a pushover for Zac, who is handsome and civilised.

There are many, many old Etonians who have a voice, and many of them are actors. Why is Eton producing so many actors? It used to produce writers, journalists and politicians as well as lawyers and businessmen. Actors are all very well but we don't need them all, Nicholas Rowe, Dominic West, Damian Lewis, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne and many more whom we haven't yet heard of. Some of them are even becoming comedians, again, this shows that they believe that when they speak, people will listen, and they probably do.